Music of the Day, 29 April 2025
you move me
Going way back today, to a song I adored when I was all of four years old. I have a dim memory of strutting up and down the long, dark hall in my maternal grandparents’ home, repeating some of its lyrics. It’s possible that I’d just heard the song courtesy of one or more of my mom’s younger siblings—my parents’ AM radio station probably wouldn’t have played it.
Perhaps the song captured my attention because those aunts and uncles sometimes called me a wild child. Perhaps its changes in intensity stood out. Whatever it was, I can’t think about it without smiling.
Hearing “Wild Thing” for the first time in decades, it still sounds both very fresh and thoroughly 1960s to me. Of course I recognize the sexual innuendo now, and appreciate its restraint. The instruments dropping out—except for the repeating guitar riff—and the Troggs’ lead singer Reg Presley’s voice going both softer and smoother add a lot to “Wild Thing.” Young Jackie probably wondered if “you move me” was more powerful than “I love you,” since it was the second verse. Today, I’d be inclined to answer that it is. What do you think?
Presley also played the ocarina on the track, which was almost certainly my introduction to the instrument, although I didn’t know that until today. (I’d previously thought it was a recorder.) The Troggs’ other band members were: Ronnie Bond (drums); Chris Britton (guitar and backing vocals); and Pete Staples (bass and backing vocals).
I had vague memories that the Troggs had other hits, but hadn’t been able to remember any. The band’s Wiki page affirms that they did, and that the band was quite influential, especially on garage and punk rock. It’s easy to see in retrospect. To me it also sounds psychedelic, mostly because of the ocarina solo.
I’m curious about their other music and want to dive in, but I’m also wanting to learn more about the rock music scene in the 1960s. I soaked in it as a kid and enjoyed much of it, but I have little sense of its chronology and history. Recommendations for good documentaries are welcome.